Happy Thanksgiving

We hosted our very first Thanksgiving this year and I can officially say, it was a success! We invited my parents from Bartlesville to come and spend a few days with us. To give my parents a break, Brian and I took on most of the food and just asked my parents to bring a relish tray and a pie. We made all the rest! I'm not the type to take a picture of the food I make, but I'll tell you we had quite the feast!

 

On Thanksgiving night, we busted out the Christmas tree and all our Christmas decorations. Here are a few pictures of Chyler and I decorating.

 

That night, we were also able to make it to a local Christmas light show. It was rated #1 in the whole OKC metro. Not only do you just drive around, but you can take a little train ride through the park or get out and walk around. The train ride was so long, so we first drove through and then opted to run around since the weather was so nice (it was 70 in the day!).

Over the next few days, we enjoyed Black Friday shopping, movies, talking, playing games, eating leftovers, and more. Thanks for coming Grandma & Grandpa Lewis!

This isn't the best picture of Chyler, but I just wanted to show

how much she loves to snuggle with Grandma and Grandpa!

 

 

Just some thankful thoughts:

 

Usually during November, I make a list of things I'm grateful for and write down things such as our house, my family, music, my health, my education, my Savior, etc. While my family continued with tradition and did that again this year, I was also able to reflect in depth on a spiritual aspect that has blessed my life. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, I was asked to give a talk on "How the Book of Mormon has Blessed my Life." (For those who aren't members of my church, a talk is something a member prepares on a certain subject and tells it to the congregation on Sunday.) I always knew the Book of Mormon blessed my life and off the bat, I could list some reasons why. But, as I prepared my talk, I was able to read words from prophets and apostles and then directly relate them to my past experiences. I am so grateful for the opportunity to go a little deeper this past Thanksgiving and really see what the Lord does for me.

 

Just a few quotes that I really like and used in my talk:

 

In May 1988, President Benson said, "Our homes are not strong unless we are using [the Book of Mormon] to bring our children to Christ. Our families may be corrupted by wordly trends and teachings unless we know how to use the book to expose and combat falsehoods."

 

In May 2008 in the New Era, President Eyring quoted Elder Benson by saying, "These promises- increased love and harmony in the home, greater respect between parent and child, increased spirituality and righteousness- these are not idle promises, but exactly what the Prophet Joseph Smith meant when he said the Book of Mormon will help us draw nearer to God."